Campaign of the Month:
March 2016

Ptolus, City by the Spire

Firearms

Although firearms are actually fairly simple to use, doing so requires Firearms Proficiency. This proficiency covers not only firing the weapon, but loading it and caring for it.

If you make an attack roll using a weapon with which you are not proficient, you do not add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll.

Reloading a firearm is a move action, but if you are proficient with firearms you can reload as a bonus action.

In the Empire it is also necessary to carry a firearms permit, which costs 10 gp to obtain and an annual fee of 1 gp to renew. Permits are granted only to citizens. They are required so the Empire can control these powerful weapons, at least to a point. Failure to present a permit when found with a firearm is a crime punishable by a 500 gp fine.

Chimera Rifle: This strange deviation of the hydra rifle has three barrels. One is a standard rifle barrel, one launches a small dart (usually drugged or poisoned), and one emits a very short-range blast of alchemist’s fire. The dart inflicts only 1d4 points of damage and has a moderate range (it is purposely not very powerful so as not to unduly harm a target to be drugged and captured). The blast of alchemist’s fire has a range of only ten feet but, as with a hellsbreath gun (see below), it fires in a line, damaging all within the affected area with alchemist’s fire unless they succeed at a Dexterity saving throw (DC 12). Those who successfully save still suffer 1 point of fire damage. (Unlike the hellsbreath gun, the smaller amount of alchemist’s fire stored within the chimera rifle and the smaller powder charge—and thus the shorter range—make it relatively safe to use.) A chimera rifle, unlike a hydra rifle, cannot be fitted with a master trigger. It takes a full round to load the standard rifle and the dart launcher and two full rounds to load the alchemist’s fire blaster. A person needs two hands to load and fire a chimera rifle.

Double Pistol: This pistol has two barrels, so it can be fired twice before reloading (one move action for each barrel). A double pistol requires two hands to load, but only one hand to fire.

Dragon Pistol: The most common firearm in Ptolus, this weapon has an iron dragon’s head around its muzzle so that its shot comes from the dragon’s mouth. Reloading the pistol takes a move action. A dragon pistol requires two hands to load, but only one hand to fire.

Dragon Rifle: This firearm is a larger, longer-barreled version of the dragon pistol with better range and greater damage. Reloading the rifle takes a full-round action. A dragon rifle requires two hands to load and fire.

Hand Cannon: This short, wide pistol is a Large weapon, so despite its shape—unless used by an ogre or similar creature—a person needs both hands to use it. It has a very short range but packs an amazing punch. Adventurers often use hand cannons to blast down doors or through wooden walls. Reloading the weapon takes a move action. A hand cannon requires two hands to load and fire.

Hellsbreath Gun: This device consists of a powerful pump activated by a blast of powder that sprays a reservoir of alchemist’s fire in a line up to twenty feet long. Anyone in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 12) or suffer damage as if struck by a flask. Even after a successful save, the attack still inflicts 1 point of fire damage. Those with no skill at firearms tend to favor this weapon. However, it is dangerous to use. Each time someone fires the weapon, roll a d20. On a roll of 1, the reservoir of alchemist’s fire within the weapon ignites and explodes, destroying the gun and inflicting 2d6 points of fire damage on the user (Reflex save, DC 17, for half damage). A hellsbreath gun requires two full rounds to reload. One must use two hands to load and fire it.

Hydra Rifle: This variant dragon rifle gets its name from the fact that it has three barrels. Each barrel has a separate trigger and thus one can fire the weapon three times without loading—it’s like carrying three loaded rifles at once. However, for an extra 250 gp, a weaponsmith can fit it with a master trigger to allow the user to fire all three at once. A character must roll all three attacks independently, and all three must share the same target. It is not possible to fire only two barrels at once; you either fire one or all three when the weapon is fitted with a master trigger. Each barrel must be loaded separately, taking a full round per barrel. A person needs two hands to load and fire a hydra rifle.

Repeater Rifle: This weapon can fire six rounds before requiring a reload. Reloading is a full-round action. Repeater rifles are fairly uncommon. A repeater rifle requires two hands to load and fire.

Powder Bomb: This gunpowder explosive has a blast radius of five feet. The user lights the fuse as a move action, then throws the bomb as a standard action. Alternatively, it can be fitted with a match cord fuse to use as a set charge.

Smokebomb: This non-damaging explosive creates a cloud of smoke in a twenty-foot radius. The cloud persists in still conditions for 1d3+6 rounds and in windy conditions for only 1d3+1 rounds. Visibility within the smoke is limited to two feet. Everything within has 90 percent concealment.

Spyglass Rifle: As a dragon rifle, except with a spyglass mounted atop it to help at range. Because this weapon ignores its first range increment, penalties for range begin at three hundred feet.

Sting: This small and concealable pistol requires a move action to reload. One needs to use two hands to load a sting pistol, but only one hand to fire it.

AMMUNITION
Ammunition includes both bullets (often called “rounds” or “shot” in Ptolus) and powder.

A bullet affects a single target; scattershot affects a radius of ten feet but inflicts only half damage.

Attacks with scattershot fire have advantage on the attack roll , but a Dexterity saving throw (DC 15) reduces the damage by half.

The maximum range of scattershot fire is a single range increment of the weapon that fired it.